Casino Odds Are Changing

Although we haven’t heard much about it lately, it looks like the marriage between the horse racing industry and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission is ‘on’ again.

After years of OLG money subsidizing the racing industry, the McGuinty government blew up that model and said the racing industry was on it’s own and the government would focus on new casinos in urban areas.

That plan decimated horse racing and created a series of polarizing debates in cities, including Hamilton, about the pros and cons of urban casinos.

But, things have changed.

Premier Kathleen Wynne has slowly, but most assuredly, reversed that process; in fact, later this week, the OLG and racing officials will meet again to develop plans that will be mutually beneficial to gaming and racing.

In other words, it seems that the partnership is being renewed.

So, where does this leave the plans for those multi-million dollar hotel/casino/entertainment complexes that were being planned, and what about those high rollers in the gaming industry who were interested in investing in those ventures ?

It’s hard to tell .

But, what seemed like a sure bet just a couple of years ago, looks like a long shot right now.